First impressions:
The knife arrived in a Jiaheng branded cardboard box.
No issues out of the box - the blade is dead centered, no bladeplay at all, the action on bearings is smooth from the start and it arrived sharp.
Overall the knife reminded me very much of another knife I had a while ago - the Y-Start Jin02 and I suspect it was made in the same factory, by the same people and from the same materials, thus shares many of the pros and cons of the Jin.
Pros:
- Just like the Jin, the knife has great blade dropping action right out of the box, and that is achieved by using ball bearings as the pivot mechanism. They also really did it right with the tang geometry, thus the knife also opens fast and has a nice detent.
- Overall quality. Like I've already mentioned in first impressions - the knife had no quality issues at all out of the box and it seems won't develop any in the future.
- Design. The Jiaheng knife resembles overall another Axis lock knife - the Benchmade 470 Amicus/Arcane, so it borrows the great ergonomics and overall looks.
Can't be called a clone IMO, because it has too many differences - thumb stud opening and not an assisted flipper, different materials and execution.
It also has skeletonized steel liners, Shiro style pivot screw and deep carry pocket clip, which is a significant improvement over the Jin.
- Blade steel. The blade has D2 marking on it, but I suspect it might have 9Cr18MoV, which is great for EDC carry (doesn't rust or stain) and keeps an edge pretty well.
Cons:
- The biggest con (just like on the Jin) was the pretty stiff Axis lock (hard omega springs), that also has steep edges, thus is a bit uncomfortable to use right out of the box.
My solution to that was to stick some toothpicks in the lock until it was fully disengaged, spray it with WD40 and leave it like this for about a day. After that the lock became a lot softer and much easier to use.
- Another con is the weight of the knife (119g/4.2oz), that although having skeletonized liners, still feels a bit heavier than it should.
Summary:
- Overall this is a great option for a budget, but well made and functioning EDC carry, a true rival for Ganzo (has few undeniable advantages).
If you had the Jin 02 and liked it, you will probably like the JH even more.
I bought mine from here: Jiaheng JH04 knife
Jin 02 is sold here: Y-Start Jin02
More axis lock knives here: Axis Lock knives
I am absolutely pumped to try one of these out, I'm not done crushing on my Jin-02 and this looks like it hits all the same buttons.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think this one is even a slight improvement over the Jin02.
DeleteCheers!
Another great review! I just got a Jin02 and ended up bending the Omega springs a little which may or may not have been a good idea--I just didn't see the spring softening up but maybe I am just impatient! I will have to try your method next time. In any case it flips nicely now but still has enough spring to snap closed.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, enjoy it!
DeleteCheers!
This knife is sooooo Great that I ordered a second one!! In the knife I've already received (the first order), the Axis Lock is very smooth! It is the smoothest Chinese Axis Lock I ever had! But thanks a lot for your tip about the toothpicks and WD-40. I used it on some of my Ganzo AL knives and it made definitely an improvement. By the way, don't you think new Ganzo (FireBird) Knives with Axis Lock is more stiff than the old series? All of my new Ganzo knives with AL has been stiff out of the box (beside two CF handles which were smooth OOTB).
ReplyDelete